


The Third Time

by canadiankazz



Series: Times Jasper Fed from Annabelle [3]
Category: Vampire: The Masquerade, Vampire: The Masquerade - L.A. By Night (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood Drinking, Brujah (Vampire: The Masquerade), Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Nosferatu (Vampire: The Masquerade), Pain Into Pleasure, Serious Injuries, Vampires, hit and run
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-13 20:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17495207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canadiankazz/pseuds/canadiankazz
Summary: Jasper is in serious trouble after being hit by a vehicle during a fight with another Kindred. He is going to need Annabelle's help (and blood) to heal.SPOILERS for the end of Campaign 1, and a little bit for the one-shots. This has gone off canon, so consider this an AU. It's worth reading Part 1 (The First Time) and Part 2 (The Second Time) before you read this. Written before the premiere of Season 2. (Believe it or not!)





	The Third Time

**Author's Note:**

> When coming up with ideas for this fic, my muse L and I were amazed that we didn't consider hurt/comfort first. Writing this one was a challenge, but one I ultimately enjoyed. I wanted this part to focus more on Jasper's side of things. He's not the easiest character to write for due to his enigmatic nature, and yet I've been told I do it well. 
> 
> I lay no claim to owning any of the characters involved. As always, special thanks to L for the support and encouragement during the writing of the drafts. Neck biting was what they requested, and so neck biting is what we've got!
> 
> Also posted to the author's tumblr.

Jasper lay on the road, face-down. His whole existence was nothing but pain. His chest and back were completely crushed. If he needed to breathe, he wouldn’t have been able to due to his lungs being shredded by broken ribs. He couldn't feel his feet or legs. That wasn't good. He tested his hands and arms. His left one worked fine. His right wouldn’t respond. He slowly turned his head. He didn't hear or feel anything wrong with his neck. His right arm was a total mess, twisted and broken. He could see exposed bone. Not good.

Jasper looked back to where he had last seen his foe. He caught the sight of the other Nosferatu's body, what was left of it. Where the truck had run over Jasper's torso, it had directly hit the other vampire in the head. The force had been enough to crush it flat, effectively wrenching it from his body. The oh-so tempting smell of Vitae was thick in the air. Jasper watched as the remains other Nosferatu crumbled into ash and a faint breeze began to blow it away. Jasper groaned. He could have used him.

He had other priorities now. Number one was to get off the road. Jasper tried to shift his body but couldn't. He gritted his teeth against a scream of pain that tried to force its way out of his throat. He glanced up and down the road. He couldn't see any other headlights. The red tail lights of the truck that had hit them were already gone.

“Asshole didn't even stop,” he thought in a delirium of pain. “Hit and run.” It was good that the driver hadn’t stopped though. It meant that Jasper didn't have to do anything to him.

Jasper closed his eyes and concentrated. He had precious little Vitae to spare, but he had to heal, and quickly. He wouldn’t survive being run over again. His head swam. He was dangerously close to falling into Torpor. If he did, and if Victor or Nelli didn't find him in time, he was surely doomed.

He'd never see Chloe again.

He'd never see Annabelle again.

His fangs gritted. A groan that turned into a growl escaped through them as he forced his broken body to heal. His spine crunched, shattered bones clicking back into place, torn muscles and nerves knitting themselves back together. With his good arm, he reached and gripped the tarmac and pulled himself forward. It was slow and agonising. He reached again and felt the dry, scraggly grass at the edge of the road. He pulled himself towards it. His feet and legs tingled as feeling returned to them. They hurt, like a thousand needles in his flesh. He reached and pulled again and with a scream of pain and a burst of desperate effort, rolled himself off the road and down into the grassy ditch on the edge of it.

He rolled once, twice, and settled on his back. His broken arm was flopped across his chest. He lay there, still for a moment, trying to collect himself mentally. He hoped he was out of sight of the road. He turned his head and saw the glint of his knife that he had lost in the fight. It had been thrown clear. He grabbed it with his good arm and painfully, awkwardly, slipped it back into its hiding spot on his person.

He re-took stock of his condition. His spine was mostly healed. His back ached, but he could move his feet again, and he hoped that when he tried to walk, he would be able to. His legs were okay, only some road rash. His chest had been caved in under the vehicle’s tires. Almost every rib was still broken. He only had one good arm. His clothes were ripped and covered in Vitae and road dirt.

“Ow…” he whispered to himself. This was bad, but he knew he was probably also the luckiest Nosferatu in L.A. right now. That very easily could have been him with his head under the tires, or another truck could have come right after that first one and hit him again like roadkill. If only that other bastard had let him Soaring Leap away, but no, Jasper had been held down in some stupid murder/suicide thing. Well, joke’s on that other Nos, whatever the hell his name was. He was dust and Jasper was still in one piece… kind of.

Jasper focused and tried to repair his right arm. At the very least, he wanted to close that compound fracture. He made some slow, agonising progress. His wounds began to close, at least on the outside. The sound of it was disgusting. The internal damage across his body was deep, and it would take more Vitae for him to heal it all than he had in him.

Jasper didn't know how long he lay there. He could hear crickets and other night creatures around him. He reached the limit of his healing and his Beast rumbled with hunger. His ribs were still broken, though the bloody dent in his chest wasn't as extreme as it had been. His eyes stared up at the night sky. Dawn was oncoming. He had to move.

Jasper rolled over again and used his left arm to push himself up to his feet. He still had no strength in his right. He could move his hand and fingers, that was good, but the muscles inside the arm itself were still ruined. He got to his feet and tried to take a step. He stumbled, but didn't fall. Step by agonising step, keeping as out of sight as he could without using Vitae to make himself invisible, he began his slow march home.

Victor called shortly before he reached the L.A. River. His phone, by a miracle, was scratched, but otherwise undamaged. Jasper leaned against the sloping concrete wall at the edge of the river and answered the call. Every effort now went into keeping himself upright and keeping his voice steady.

“Hello?”

“Jasper? Where are you, man, are you okay?” Victor sounded worried.

“I'm okay,” Jasper lied. “I got hit by a car, but I'm okay. I'm heading home.”

“You got hit by a car?! What? Jasper-”

“I'm fine, really,” Jasper cut off. He chuckled and instantly regretted it as his ribs and internal organs screamed. “You should see the other guy.”

“Yeah, you were fighting that other Nos... what happened?”

“He pushed me onto the road. We were fighting, and... a car hit us. His head got destroyed. He's dust.” That much was true, if down played. It hadn't been a car that hit them, it had been an eighteen wheeler. “It was a hit and run. Driver never stopped. I don’t think they even saw us.”

“Oh, well... you sure you're okay?” Victor asked.

“Yeah, I'm good. I've had worse,” Jasper lied again.

“Are you going back to the college? I can send a car for you.”

“No, I'm... I'm almost home.” He could see his front door from where he was. “I'm good. I... I'll live.”

Victor sounded doubtful. “Okay, man, if you're sure.”

“Yeah, I'm sure,” Jasper said with a false smile.

“Okay,” Victor relented.

“Are you and Nelli okay?”

“Yeah, we're both fine. She broke a nail, though.” Victor laughed over the line. Jasper chuckled again and coughed. He could taste his own Vitae in his mouth. Not good. “We're going to look into who sent them,” Victor continued. “It could be the last bits of Blaine's gang, but that seems unlikely. It might have been the Ivory Tower.”

Jasper almost didn't care. “Okay, well... do me a favour, Victor?”

“Sure, man.”

“My battery's dying... can you call Annabelle for me?”

Annabelle was currently in Santa Monica. Jasper could feel her there. Though it was only a short drive away, it felt like it was on the other side of the world.

“Yeah, okay. Why?” Victor sounded a little suspicious now.

“She'll want to know about the attack. She'll be pissed if she has to find out about it second hand.”

That was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth. There was barely a power on this earth that would have made Jasper willingly tell Victor the entire truth.

“That's fair enough. No problem,” Victor promised.

“Okay. I'm going to go.”

“Good bye.”

“'Bye.”

Jasper ended the call and almost dropped his phone. He put it away and pushed himself off the wall with a grimace. Stopping to take that call had killed any momentum he had, but at least it would keep the Baron of the Valley from sniffing around for a while. Also, it meant Annabelle would be told, which meant that she would probably try to see him.

 _Probably_. He didn't want to hope too hard that she would seek him out right away. Hope wasn't a thing he indulged himself in any more. He and Annabelle had gotten extremely close in recent weeks with a degree of intimacy that he also hadn't allowed himself in a long time. Hers was the first blood he had tasted who had ever willingly offered it to him, with no mind tricks or false pretences. That made her a different kind of special than what she already was.

The sky in the far east was starting to grey and the birds in Griffith Park were singing a loud morning chorus by the time Jasper got to his door. Every step had been painful, but the fear of the sun kept him going. He pulled the hatch open with his left arm and slipped inside. He threw all his weight into closing it again, which made him grit his fangs in agony. He turned and staggered down his dark passage ways, but his strength failed him before he got down to his proper living and working area. He staggered, tried to catch himself with his right arm and fell on his face. He lay there, moaning and growling softly for a few seconds, then passed out.

* * *

 

He could hear someone calling his name. He could hear someone pounding on a metal door. Everything hurt. His back ached, his chest felt like was in a vice and his right arm felt like it had been ripped apart, then sewn back together by a bear. A blind bear with no medical degree.

“Jasper? Jasper? Are you there?”

It took him a moment to remember where he was and what had happened to him. He opened his eyes and his Beast started to writhe and rage in hunger. Injuries or no injuries, it wanted to rip apart anything and everything with blood inside it and fuck the consequences. He turned his head to look behind him, back towards where the sounds were coming from.

“Jasper?” There was more loud pounding on his front door.

It was Annabelle. Jasper tried to push himself to his feet. He managed it with a snarl and a grimace as he heard the hatch open.

“Jasper?” Annabelle's worried voice echoed down the tunnel towards him. “I'm sorry, I don't mean to break in... are you here?”

He found himself not minding her intrusion as much as he felt that he should have.

“I'm here,” he called to her. He winced. He sounded like he was in pain. That kind of thing can sometimes only be hidden for so long.

He heard her close the hatch and hurry towards him. She was using the flashlight on her phone to guide her. “Jasper?”

“Be careful,” he warned her as she came close. “I'm... very hungry.” He smiled without humour, his fangs very much on show.

She paused when she saw him in the dim light and put a hand to her mouth in shock. His hoodie was torn up and ruined. She could smell his Vitae. He was scraped and cut. He was holding his right arm stiffly up to his chest.

“You look terrible!”

“Oh, well...” He looked away from her, pretending to be gravely insulted.

“No, no, I mean... what happened to you? Victor said you'd been hit by a car, but...” She sounded very upset, but she hadn't come closer to him yet. She had taken his warning seriously.

“I may not have told Victor the whole truth,” Jasper said, looking at her again. “It wasn't a car. It was a semi truck.”

Annabelle gasped. She took a step towards him. He wanted to stop her, but he didn't. Part of him, and he was surprised to admit it wasn't just the hungry part of him, had missed her terribly.

“Oh, my God... Jasper...” She could see more of his injuries as she came closer, including how his chest had a frightening dent to it.

“I'm... I'll be okay,” he tried to assure her. His voice was rough. “I just need to heal some more, and I'll be fine. It looked worse before...”

Annabelle shook her head. “Come on... let's get you inside.” She put an arm around him, trying to help support him as gently as she could. He didn't try to resist. He found himself leaning rather heavily on her, but she supported him without issue.

Inside the sanctum itself, Annabelle steered them towards the bedroom. Jasper was a little confused, but didn't stop her. He was starting to snarl to himself under his breath, as his Beast tried to claw its way forwards. His new favourite food source was right there. Her hair smelled like the ocean. She was full of the precious Vitae that his Beast tried to claim was rightfully his for the taking.

“Jasper?” Annabelle asked, very worried.

“I'm okay,” he lied. “Just trying to keep control.” He realised he was shaking just a little bit. It hurt.

Annabelle sat him on his bed. He found himself laying back onto it with a groan. She bit her lip.

“You know... X told me you were in trouble. Right before Victor called me, I was talking with X and he said that you needed my help.”

Jasper snickered, and his laughter had a growl in it. “Good old X.”

“Will you let me help you?” she asked.

He knew she was talking about feeding him again, and although it was all he wanted in the world at that point, he still felt the need to try to warn her away. He shook his head. “It's too dangerous. I am _very_ badly hurt and almost starving. The chances of me killing you are very, very high.”

“But the chances of you hurting or killing someone else if I don't are also very high,” she retorted.

“That is true,” he admitted.

She sighed for a moment, thinking. A large part of her wanted him to feed from her again, not just because it would keep other people safe from his hunger and not just because it would help her friend. When he bit her, she felt a dizzying array of sensations that she was ashamed to admit no mortal had ever given her. It wasn't better than sex, but it was on a very similar level. It was probably the next best thing, really. It was something she wanted to explore further with Jasper, if he wanted to as well.

“Can you take the hoodie off?”

His eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“I want to see how bad it is.”

“No, you don't,” he shook his head. “You really, really don't.”

“Your hoodie is ruined anyways,” she tried to argue. “It's all bloody and torn.”

“I don't mind that.”

“Jasper...” she pleaded.

“No.” He couldn’t understand why she wanted to see him shirtless. This wasn't the first time she had asked.

She sighed. “Okay, fine. Um... from what I've seen from the others, healing wounds takes a lot of blood, right?”

“Right,” Jasper confirmed.

Annabelle sat on the bed by Jasper's side. He almost wished she wouldn't. His Beast was getting difficult to control.

“And so if you feed from me, you run the risk of still starving even if you heal everything, right?”

“Right.”

“Could I lock you up, maybe? Just until you're under control?”

He laughed at her hypocrisy. It hurt to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. “You want to lock me up? You were the one who hated that I put someone in a cage in the first place! Besides, it would be easy for me to break out of there.”

Annabelle nodded, feeling foolish for suggesting it. “You're right. I'm an idiot.'

“No, you're not. It's a good idea, it just wouldn’t work.”

She thought the issue over a little more, and got another idea. “Do you have your knife?”

He looked at her suspiciously. “Yes.”

“Can I borrow it? Just for like, a minute.”

“Why?”

“I have another idea. Biting me is too dangerous, but you still need Vitae. What if I gave it to you in another way?”

“You want to cut yourself?”

Admitting that out loud wasn't something she was entirely comfortable with, but those were the circumstances she found herself in. “Yeah.”

He had to admit that might work. It would give Annabelle more control, and a weapon in case his Beast did frenzy again. He nodded reluctantly and shifted painfully on the bed to pull his blade out from its hiding place. It was long and sharp. It had been used many times during his Kindred existence, but it had been well maintained. He offered it to her, handle first.

Annabelle took it and gave him a little smile. “Thanks. I'll be right back!” And she disappeared out his bedroom door before he could stop her.

Jasper half sat, half lay on the bed, blinking and frowning in confusion. He could hear her moving about in another room, shifting things around. He heard a rattle of many small metal objects being carefully poured out. He snarled. He didn't like anyone going through his things, not even Annabelle. He sat up further, growling at the pain in his chest and back.

“Annabelle!” he called.

“Coming, just a second!”

He determined that she was in his workshop/cage room. His senses were not as supernaturally keen as some Kindred's, but he could definitely smell Annabelle's Vitae when it hit the air. His eyes went wide. His Beast wanted him to leap off the bed and pounce on her. He found himself gripping the bed frame with both hands to stop himself from doing that. It made his bad arm feel like it was full of angry fire ants.

Annabelle returned to the bedroom shortly later. She was carefully carrying a small plastic container in her hands. The container was full of her blood. There was also a thin streak of blood along the blade. Annabelle had no visible wounds. He guessed that she had cut her palm, bled into the container, then healed herself. Jasper recognised the container as one he had kept loose screws and nails in. She had emptied it, re-filled it with blood, and was now carrying it to him like he was sick in bed and being offered chicken soup. He smiled wildly and sharply, still snarling to himself.

Annabelle carefully passed him the plastic container, wary not to spill any of it. “Here... careful,” she said maternally.

He imminently poured the contents down his throat. He could taste her in it, but it lacked the satisfying feeling of sinking his fangs into flesh. Still, it was nourishment, and though his Beast grumbled, it too had to admit that Vitae was Vitae no matter the shape of its container and it was temporarily locked back in its prison again.

Annabelle watched Jasper as he greedily drank from the container, like a man lost on a raft at sea who had managed to fill a bowl with fresh rain water. He was extremely careful not to spill any of it. She still held the knife. She was proud of herself for coming up with this idea, but it still felt a little like they were taking a step backwards. This would do for now, but it lacked the intimacy she thought she wanted.

When the majority of the contents were gone, Jasper started to clean out the interior of the plastic container with his tongue, licking up all the bloody residue left behind. It looked a little gross, but Annabelle found herself faintly impressed with how long and dexterous Jasper's tongue seemed to be. “This was a good idea,” he said between licks.

“Thanks. I'm glad it worked.” She waited for him to finish, then passed him his knife back. He licked Vitae off the blade, careful not to cut himself on it. Annabelle thought her heart would skip a beat, if it were beating.

Jasper polished the blade on a sheet and put it away. He handed her the clean container. “Thank you. Please... put this back where it was?”

“Yeah, no problem.” She didn't imminently leave the room though. She had another idea. Jasper would need more Vitae, and she wanted to spend time with him, but she needed to restock her internal supply too. “Would it be okay if I left for a few hours and came back later? I'll feed and then come back and... we can do this again, but properly.” If she could blush right now, she would be crimson.

Jasper was quiet and still for a moment. He felt conflicted. Yes, he wanted Annabelle to do this thing she was suggesting. He wanted it badly. It was a little more than just wanting her blood though. He liked her company and she seemed to enjoy his. Since Tara left, his sanctum had been very tranquil. Normally, he liked that. There was a peace down here that was hard to find in Los Angeles. He enjoyed the quiet, but he had also enjoyed every minute he had spent with Annabelle here with him. That kind of positive reinforcement was difficult to deny.

On the other hand, he knew that it would mean going further and further down the metaphorical rabbit hole of this much closer, more intimate relationship he had with her, and he was frankly a little scared. He cared about Annabelle a lot, definitely more so now than he ever used to before, now that her Vitae was a part of him again. That meant that their bond could have the potential to be used against him, and that wasn't good. He wanted more and more of her each time. They were going to have to be very careful.

He could see that his silence was making Annabelle worried. He habitually ran his tongue over his fangs and Annabelle fidgeted in an interesting way. “Alright,” he said at last. “You'll come back later tonight?”

She nodded, a little eagerly. “Yeah.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay. I'll be here.” He opened his mouth to say more, hesitated, then continued. “You can... let yourself in. I trust you.”

She looked surprised at that. She knew that was a big deal. “Oh! Um, sure. Thanks.”

“Don't make me regret that,” he warned her. “I'm not happy that our coterie knows exactly where I live, and if you tell anyone else about it, or, God forbid, take them here, I will hurt them and probably you as well.”

She nodded, looking a little worried again. “Jasper, I won't. You can trust me.”

He knew he could. Her blood in his told him so. He relented. “Okay.”

“Okay. I'll be back soon,” Annabelle promised. She left and he heard her put the screws and nails back into the container in his workshop and she saw herself out of his sanctum.

* * *

Jasper did several things while he waited to Annabelle to return. He let himself heal a little more, and managed to do so without rousing his Beast too much. His chest and back felt a lot better now. He could walk and move with little discomfort. His right arm still didn't feel right. It was stiff and had minimal strength. If he tried to stretch it, or lift anything heavy with it, his muscles screamed in protest. He wasn't worried. It would be healed completely after Annabelle came back. He changed his clothes. He didn't throw out the ruined hoodie. It could be salvaged in various ways. He checked to make sure his container of screws was back where it should be. He didn't trust Annabelle to put it back just so. He also charged his phone, and discovered several missed messages and calls from Annabelle. She had desperately tried to contact him for a few hours before banging on his door. He must have been unconscious in that tunnel for a long while past sunset. That was a little unnerving. He was very grateful that she had found him.

Annabelle returned a few hours later. She had a laptop bag with her. She too had changed her clothes, and was now wearing a basic black tank top under her red leather jacket. It was far too cold outside now for a mortal to get away with wearing that comfortably, but for Kindred the cold was less of an issue. She let herself into Jasper's haven, as she had been given permission to do so. Jasper heard her coming down the passage between his rooms and the outside world and greeted her at the door.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she smiled and assessed him. “You're looking better.”

“I'm feeling better, thank you. What's in the bag?”

“My computer. I thought... I don't know... we could watch some stuff, later.” Once again, if she could blush without using Vitae to do so, she would have.

Jasper smirked. “I don't have great internet down here.”

“I have some things saved on the hard drive,” Annabelle mumbled.

“Okay. If we have time, we might watch some things.”

A small moment of awkwardness settled in. Annabelle had an idea now of how she wanted things to go this time. She had been doing a lot of thinking about this. She barrelled onwards, gaining more confidence as she spoke.

“I'd like to do it in the bedroom this time,” she said, “if that's alright with you.”

Jasper arched an eyebrow at her and tilted his head. “Sure, I guess.” He could tell she was planning something, and wondered where she was going with this. He was willing to follow her though.

“After you, then,” she gestured towards the bedroom. “It's your house, after all.”

“Yes, it is.” Amused and intrigued, Jasper slunk back into his bedroom. His right arm was still held stiffly by his side.

Annabelle followed him and closed the door behind them. She put her laptop bag on the floor by the wall. “I have something I want to show you,” Annabelle announced. She dug out a baggie with several small plastic things inside. She showed them to Jasper. They were small plastic battery operated tea light candles. She flicked the switch on the bottom of one and showed him the fake flame. She beamed at him, her face illuminated with the orange light from the 'candle.' “Check it out! Safe candles for us! We don't have to worry about fire with these.”

Jasper chuckled, which didn't hurt as much as it used to. He took the little plastic candle from Annabelle and turned it over, examining it. He poked the little fake flickering fire with his long, pale finger. He bore his fangs as he smiled, and a little coil of anticipation bloomed in Annabelle's core. “Very clever,” he said in admiration.

Jasper had no furniture in this room, save for his bed, so Annabelle set about turning on the tea lights and placing them evenly on the floor around the room. She was satisfied with the light and atmosphere they created. It was subtly romantic.

“Why the candles, though?” Jasper asked.

“I want to... set a mood.” She took off her red jacket and left it with her bag. Jasper watched her closely. He was working out what her plan was. She gestured to the bed and they sat on it together.

“Alright, so...” Annabelle took a deep breath to steady her nerves. “I'm ready for you to feed again, if you'd like to. I went and fed earlier, so I'm good to go.”

Jasper nodded. He smiled slowly.

“But this time, we can do things a little differently... if you're okay with that,” Annabelle continued.

“How so?”

“I'm going to let you bite my neck.”

Jasper froze, staring at her. “Really?”

“Yes.” Annabelle tried not to fidget. “I've put a lot of thought into this, and yes. You can do that if you want, or we can stick to what we did before.” She lifted up her wrist that he had fed from in the past.

Jasper nodded slowly. What she was doing was a gift, a favour to him, after all, and if this was how she wanted to do it, then he approved. “I'm okay with... trying something different,” he said. He smiled with fangs again.

“Great! Okay. Um... here.” Annabelle considered for another moment, then turned around on the bed so she was sitting with her back to him. She moved her tank top and bra strap down her arm on her right side to expose as much of her neck and shoulder as she could without taking her top off all together. The gold chain from the heart locket given to her by Elleanore gleamed against her skin. Jasper thought that, from what he could see of her black bra strap and the faint impression of lace he could make out through the fabric of her top, that the bra Annabelle was wearing was a rather fancy one. He was no expert, of course, but he wasn't completely ignorant either. 'The Date Night set' would have been how Chloe would have described it, long ago. He wondered why Annabelle would have felt the need to wear something like that. He supposed she had started of thinking of these occasions of theirs as 'dates.'

Annabelle tilted her head and exposed her neck to him. Her skin was smooth and inviting. Her hair was well out of the way, she having chosen her undercut side for him to bite. She glanced back at Jasper, a little nervous, but her mind was set.

“Ready when you are,” she said softly.

Jasper quietly moved a little closer until his front was almost pressed against her back. His eyes were on her neck and shoulder. Her Vitae was there, so close he could almost smell it. He put his left hand gently on her back and left side, as a brace. Annabelle felt no breath on her skin. She knew there wouldn't be, but it was still a little unsettling. She could hear Jasper open his mouth in her right ear. She closed her eyes, anticipating the bite.

Jasper bit down into Annabelle's skin, right where the curve of her neck met her shoulder. She gasped and her eyes flashed open. She could see their shadows on the wall in the artificial candle light. She could feel Jasper's lips close around the wound, keeping any Vitae from escaping and dripping down her back. The pain was more acute and a little more fierce. The pleasure, when it hit, made Annabelle tremble. It seemed somehow better, more intense then when he had bitten her wrist. Her eyelids fluttered closed again as the fog of ecstasy rolled over her. She relaxed back into Jasper's body, leaning against him. A soft moan escaped her lips.

For Jasper, this was heaven. Her Vitae was sweet and strong. He could taste the Brujah strength and Annabelle's arousal. The fact that he was the cause of that arousal was not lost on him. Her gasps and moans were the only sounds in the room. Strength returned to Jasper's right arm and he brought it up to her shoulder. He gripped her tight as he drained her, gently but forcibly encouraging her blood to flow into him. His Beast clawed at its cage, encouraging him to keep going, more and more. Her strength could be his forever if he didn't stop. She probably wouldn't even stop him, wouldn't _want_ to stop him, his Beast whispered.

He didn't listen to it. He was loving this, yes, but the last thing he wanted to do was to commit Diablerie against Annabelle. He was almost fully supporting her weight now. He glanced at her face and saw her eyes were closed and her mouth was open. He could see her fangs.

Experience told him he needed to stop now, least he take too much and drive her into her own hunger Frenzy. He pulled back with a snarl and ran his tongue over her skin, first catching an escaping crimson drip that was running down her back, then closing the wound left by his fangs. He could feel Annabelle shiver. He let her continue to lean limply back against him with her head resting against his shoulder. She exhaled a long, quiet moan. He smirked and kept his arms wrapped around her, holding her tenderly. He licked his lips and fangs, making sure his mouth was clean of Vitae.

After a few moments, Annabelle opened her eyes and turned her head a little to look at his face. Up close, his skin was foul, grey and dead. The black veins stood out starkly. She looked past that, into his eyes, and smiled the dopey smile of the recently pleasured. He smirked back at her.

“Good?” he asked softly.

“Good,” Annabelle nodded. She sounded breathy. “Really good. You?”

“I am perfectly good,” he smiled. She could see his fangs up close. God, they were scary. She closed her eyes and kept them closed while she recovered.

After several minutes, Annabelle sat up, lifting her weight off Jasper slowly. He steadied her with his hands until he was sure she wouldn’t fall over. She was obviously dizzy from the experience. She turned slowly back around to face him. They were quiet for a few moments, but it wasn't awkward this time. They just sat close to each other. Jasper knew, in this moment, that whatever bond he was developing with Annabelle was deeper now. He felt like he would want to do whatever she asked, if she asked him right this moment. He was glad he trusted her not to abuse this. Any of the others would have. She really was one of the few non-horrible Kindred he had ever known.

“Would you like to sleep over?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

She nodded once. “Yes, please,” she answered in a very similar tone to his.

He smiled and she smiled back.

They ended up sharing the bed, snuggled up against each other. Annabelle had her head against Jasper's shoulder and Jasper had an arm around her. They watched _Bram Stoker's Dracula_ on Annabelle's laptop and debated whether or not Keanu Reeves really was immortal. Jasper pointed out that if he was, he should have developed a better English accent by now. Annabelle couldn’t come up with a sound argument against that.

**Author's Note:**

> I am shocked and amazed at how close we came to something very much like this fic happening at the end of Episode 2 of Season 2. I was not expecting that at all! Thank you to everyone who has sent me positive feedback on parts 1 and 2. I am happy to be contributing to this small, but hungry fandom.


End file.
